Today in Basque History: Athletic Bilbao, ETA Executive Arrested

1903: Bilbao’s two soccer teams, Bilbao F.C. and Athletic, merge to form Athletic Club. The presidents at the time are Luis Arana of Bilbao F.C. and Jose Astorquiza of Athletic. The two clubs had established a strong rivalry since the founding of Bilbao F.C. in late 1900. However, they did join to play abroad as one team, Bizcaya.

1992: The French police, acting on information provided by the Guardia Civil, captures of the full executive of ETA (the Artapalo collective). José Luis Alvarez Santacristina “Txelis”, Francisco Mugika Garmendia “Pakito”, and Jose Arregui Erostarbe “Fitipaldi” are caught in a hamlet in the French Basque town of Bidart while holding a meeting. For the first time in the history of ETA, the leadership all fell into the hands of police at the same time.

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